Future of NAIA

Fresno St. Alum · **Posted:** Mon Aug 17, 2009 9:10 pm

Tute, GPAC has 11 even without USF and Fb only member Nebraska Wesleyan.

Also leaving the GPAC for the DAC is like leaving the MVC for the Summit.

MCAC was supposed to breakup after 2010, now they might stay.

MCC has 9 members. 2 schools from the MCAC & 1 from the GPAC applied for membership but were turned down

GSAC is looking to move to D-II as a whole conference. I hope this happens, I'd like to see Fresno Pacific in D-II.

tute79 · **Joined:** Fri Jun 23, 2006 4:25 pm **Posts:** 1491

Fresno -

You appear to be correct on CURRENT membership, based on the conference web sites.
I think some of these schools have announced that they are moving on, however.

MCC - I have Clarke heading toward D-III, and eyeing the IIAC, which would take the MCC to 8 upon their departure.

GPAC - their web site shows 13 schools.
Sioux Falls was just approved to go to D-II (they and Minot St. will be applying to the NSIC)

Concordia, Doane, Hastings, and Nebraska Wesleyan are all headed to D-III (I think, I have no info on future conference affiliation yet). If I am correct, the GPAC would be down to 8 after they transition.

Those 4 are all in Nebraska. This has the other Nebraska schools in NAIA at least contemplating their future competiton level. At some point, Dana (GPAC), Bellevue, Peru St. and Saint Mary (MCAC) have all made rumbings about applying to the Iowa-based MCC. (were 3 of those the ones that you said were recently rejected by the MCC ?)
Midland Lutheran (GPAC) has thought about exploring NCAA D-III, and York (MCAC) has looked into the GPAC.

The NAIA schools seem to be a bit like rats on a ship that is slowly sinking.

In addition to the GSAC that you mentioned, the other California NAIA conference (the CPAC) has also discussed moving as a whole up to NCAA D-III. I think this last happened a few years ago with the UMAC (Upper Midwest - mostly Minnesota schools). About half of the mostly-Ohio AMC applied to move this past summer (only 2 of 6 were accepted by the NCAA). The other will likely re-apply and when enough Ohio independents show up in D-III, they may congeal into a conferenece. This flight out of NAIA seems to continue unabated, and the process would be much less traumatic if conferences moved as a whole.

Fresno St. Alum · **Posted:** Tue Aug 18, 2009 3:00 pm

Tute, the 4 schools you speak of leaving for D-III have decided to stay NAIA. The reason was there was only 1 school, Neb. Wesleyan in Nebraska that is D-III and the travel would be a lot of $$$, plus no conf that would take them. They were not turned down like the AMC schools who will re-apply for D-II.

Clarke going to D-III? Again? they just dropped from D-III to NAIA a couple of years ago.

GPAC says they have 13 becuse they inclue USF(D-II exploratory) and Nebraska Wesleyan(affiliate member) 11 I said plus them.

wbyeager · **Posted:** Tue Aug 18, 2009 8:04 pm

Do any NAIA programs offer scholarships? If not, NCAA Division III would seem destined to split just due to its sheer size if the NAIA collapses. Division III is already the largest division of the NCAA at just under 450 schools.

Fresno St. Alum · **Posted:** Wed Aug 19, 2009 1:34 am

yes NAIA has schollys. Football maxes out at 24

tute79 · **Joined:** Fri Jun 23, 2006 4:25 pm **Posts:** 1491

Fresno -

Thanks for the info.

I think I had seen all these teams on the NCAA web-site about 2 years ago under D-III membership, and apparently the Nebraska schools were just doing the "exploratory" thing. So their "move-up" never materialized ? And Clarke was actually moving downward !

That would explain my confusion. Thanks.

Tute

Fresno St. Alum · **Posted:** Wed Aug 19, 2009 3:45 pm

right Nebraska schools were just looking in never did more than that. Clarke moved down.

freaked4collegefb · **Joined:** Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:37 pm **Posts:** 7048

Tute79 and FresnoStAlum,thanks for the posts.

According to article out of Oklahoma the NAIA apparently only has about 92 schools that play FB.Looks like Northwestern Oklahoma State is reviewing it's NAIA status.Link at http://www.enidnews.com/sportslocal/loc ... 00649.html

freaked4collegefb · **Joined:** Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:37 pm **Posts:** 7048

NAIA conference SSAC today announced a major expansion plan to go to 16 members by 2010-2011 and split into 8 team divisions.Link at http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_159865.asp

freaked4collegefb · **Joined:** Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:37 pm **Posts:** 7048

Article out of Hattiesburg with more info regarding major shift of GCAC schools to the SSAC.Link at http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/arti ... -next-year

Fresno St. Alum · **Posted:** Tue Sep 29, 2009 5:57 pm

Shawnee St. will join the Mid South along with Virginia-Wise in all sports in 2010. The AMC went from 16 members to 9, 3 will likely re-apply to D-II again this year. (Walsh, Malone, Mt.Vernon Nazarene)

freaked4collegefb · **Joined:** Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:37 pm **Posts:** 7048

FresnoStateAlum,thanks for the post.

Here is announcement of Shawnee to Mid South move from Shawnee site(scroll down)at http://www.shawnee.edu/off/athl

freaked4collegefb · **Joined:** Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:37 pm **Posts:** 7048

Blog article with comments from Belhaven President explaining SSAC realignment.Apparently the SSAC will be a hybrid league split into two uneven divisions.Link at http://blogs.belhaven.edu/president/200 ... -athletics

freaked4collegefb · **Joined:** Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:37 pm **Posts:** 7048

Article regarding just finished NAIA Presidents congress meetings in Kansas City.Among other topics discussed,the presidents apparently are in agreement to end integration discussions with the NCAA.Link at http://www.gpacsports.com/article/1418.php

freaked4collegefb · **Joined:** Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:37 pm **Posts:** 7048

NAIA announces 4 new members to include SUNY-ESF,Benedictine University,Central Baptist College, and Warren Wilson College.Link at http://www.esf.edu/communications/view.asp?newsID=277

NAIA site announcement at http://naia.cstv.com/genrel/100509aad.html

Future of NAIA

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